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My first post. Just thought I'd acknowledge it. Hi everyone.I've always been a person who liked my music uncolored. Years ago, I did a search for "most revealing" speakers and found the Ascend Acoustics Sierra-1s (Sierra-2s weren't even on scene then) and I promised myself that my next upgrade would be those.
Last Christmas, I finally found myself with extra $$$ to upgrade my stereo system. Somehow, I never managed to recall my own promise of getting the Sierras. Due to combination of factors like buying used (to get max value) and finding a really good deal ($1300) on a pair of Magnepan 1.7s, that's what I settled on. Now, I have them powered by a Bryston 4B with my trusty Benchmark Dac 1 USB as a preamp. I play flac files out of my PC, and they sound wonderful. The bass is somewhat lacking, but that's to be expect, and I have a sub on the way to fix that issue.
The thing is. In this whole process, I never even remembered the Sierras, and I'm kind of having... I'm blanking out on the term. The point that this whole thing has left me wondering what the Sierras and their next generation, the Sierra 2s would have been like to own. I realize that had I gone the other way, I would probably would be posting this still because I would've wondered about the 1.7s. I went this way because I forgot about the Sierras and plus I could audition the 1.7s.
People on some forums seem to swear by their (Sierras) accuracy, neutrality, and ability to reveal details, and the measurements on them seem to back that up. On the other hand, people also say the same about Magnepans, and they are right-at least to my ears.
My Magnepans seem to do most of the above, but their not as flat through the spectrum as the Sierras, and they sound very "real" and especially with acoustic instrument. Heck, I don't even hear anything wrong with them listening to rock/metal/rap other than some lack of bass.
So my questions is, giving that I cannot audition the Sierra 2s or towers, can someone who has had experience with BOTH these speakers in a similar set up that can tell me if I took the right path? I realize there's technically no "right" in the stereo game, but I guess the advantages of 1 versus in the other, or if you feel that one is definitively better, feel free to speak your mind. Keep in mind that in either set up, I would have a sub in place.
The truth is I'm very half-hearted looking possibly exchange the Magnepans for the Sierras. The Magnepans are heavy and take up a lot of space, so I could get the same quality of speakers in a smaller package and needs less space from the wall, I'm all up for that. At least my mind is open to that, and I'm hoping someone could shed some light.
Thanks for any responses.
Edits: 01/26/15 01/26/15Follow Ups:
You say it sounds wonderful but lacks bass - you say you are solving the problem with a sub which is on its way.
Magnepan demonstrates at audio shows with Bryston. I would audition various speakers on your own - listen first read later because the reading of this stuff biases what you wind up hearing. Magnepan and Bryston are both well respected and the Brystons measure very well - but that doesn't mean that all ears will like them. Give the sub a try first. That may solve the issue.
Welcome! It sounds like you may have the early stages of audiophilia nervosa for which there is no cure...enjoy the ride and best of luck!
with a good tube amp. You will like the improvement. If you don't want
to do that, ditch the Bryston 4B in favor of the latest version of that
amp (4BSST2, I believe). It's much better.
I prefer a big, stable into 4 ohms amp for Maggies.
Exposure is excellent.
"We are all in God's hands... and God is a malign thug."
-Mark Twain
If you prefer the presentation of the maggies, I doubt any monitor type box speaker will ever float your boat. And I agree with the sentiment that each of those speakers are better served in different rooms.
These are two very different speakers. I am a former maggie owner (1.6 and 3.5) and I know there are box speakers that can beat planars, and beat them handily. I'm just not sure if the Sierra-2 is one of them.
Oz
Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you.
- Winston Churchill
From a room acoustics perspective a monitor speaker and panel loudspeakers are always going to have a different perspective - with initial reflections a bigger problem with the monitors, compared with the dipole planar - even if the frequency balance is similar.
Sensitivity and distortion level are going to be in the plus side for the monitors. And yes - that my both need subs for <50 Hz output supplement - depending on the program source. Two Subs at the sides would be my choice no matter which loudspeaker.
If it were I, I wouldn't hav ant second doubts with the Maggies - a great choice and excellent sound, balance and that "audiophile" factor. It's sometimes hard to explain to non-audio folks why you dropped a couple grand on a loudspeaker that looks pretty much like the ones at Best Buy. You don't have have that issue with a planar or ES. loudspeaker.
"The hardest thing of all is to find a black cat in a dark room, especially if there is no cat" - Confucius
His assessment parallels mine. Each speaker has its own strong points, but in the end it really depends upon what kind of sonic perspective you seek.
I've favored planar dipoles since using MG-IIs back in '76.
For acoustical classical and orchestral music and scale, Maggies, tho you need be able to give them some space.
If you have a room that 1.7's will work well in.... that room is too big for Sierra 2's.
If you have a room that Sierra 2's will work well in... that room is too small for 1.7's.
So how big is your room?
I've owned Sierra 2's, they are an outstanding speaker. My favorite speaker in the $1k range is the Peachtree 5's, my favorite speaker in the $1.5k range is the Sierra 2 (and yes, I own LS50's, they're nice but I really prefer the Sierra 2).
The Sierra-2 is a BIG step up from the Sierra-1.
"We are all in God's hands... and God is a malign thug."
-Mark Twain
My room is about 18'x25'. Speakers are slants are 4' from the back wall and are 7' apart and atleast 2' from either side wall. There's also a TV in between then a somewhat tall computer that I'm sure affects the sound in a negative way.Obviously, it's not an optimal settings, but my logic was that having a room that can't take full advantage of the 1.7s beats getting worse speakers that can't be made to fit into bigger rooms. I don't know how the Sierras might fit into the picture.
Edits: 01/26/15
I use even larger Sound Lab electrostats in a 16 x 25 (treated) room resulting in exceptionally flat bass response.
Just remember to pull the dipoles way out into the room.
My inclination is to say keep the Maggies.
I think there's a 30 day trial on the Sierra-2's if you're curious about how they'd sound in your room.
"We are all in God's hands... and God is a malign thug."
-Mark Twain
The Sierras will require you to buy a nice pair speaker stands if you don't already own a pair.The Sierras might be easier to mate seamlessly with standard box subwoofers, though, should you ever desire better bass extension at a reasonable price. I think that dipole subwoofers sound best with dipole speakers, but dipole bass can be both expensive and space-hogging. A pair of Hawthorne Audio Augie 15" dipole drivers, matching Hawthorne Audio pre-cut baffles, and an outboard subwoofer amp will cost you at least $1000 - and that is the cheapest dipole solution I can think of.
Edits: 01/26/15 01/27/15
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